Russia Will Not Isolate Itself - Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia will not isolate itself, but will expand relations with friendly countries.

The president's remarks came at a meeting with the Council of Legislators. "We will not isolate ourselves. On the contrary, we will expand pragmatic, equitable and mutually beneficial relations, which are nothing but partnerships with friendly countries in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America," Putin said.

Russia is ready to work with foreign partners, global companies and corporations that "value their business reputation and want to cooperate with Russia."

In this regard, Putin said that "in the United States, by the way, we have a lot of people who think like us. The same is true in Europe. The elites behave differently. But we know that the elites in these countries are far from always pursuing policies that are in the interests of their own people. It will backfire on them."